Tuesday, 26 December 2017

The person responsible for putting up the Vatican’s Nativity this year appears to have gotten a bit carried away.

The festive scene was unveiled at the Vatican in Rome to remind people of the Christmas story – but is getting a lot of attention for reasons the Pope probably won’t be too pleased about. ﻿

The Nativity scene includes representations of the seven corporal works of mercy – Catholic acts of penance and charity.

The seven corporeal works include ‘clothing the naked’ – and boy does the statue deliver on the ‘naked’ front.

It features a very athletic-looking man who is entirely naked in a suggestive pose, while a brightly-dressed man reluctantly hands him a cloth.

The religious statue found an unlikely fanbase on gay Twitter – a surprising platform for the Catholic church.

One admirer said: “The “corporal works of mercy, huh? Looks to me like an excuse to openly flaunt homoerotica!”

Others praised the naked man’s toned physique and gym bod.

The Nativity scene has attracted fury from conservative hardlines within the Church, who – like everyone else – appear to find the man a bit sexy.

Anti-LGBT Catholic website LifeSiteNews is worried that the entire thing is a conspiracy by gay activists to undermine the church.

It warns that the Italian city of Montevergine, where the figures were made, “has close links with Italy’s LGBT community”.

The site notes: “Enquiries by LifeSiteNews have revealed that the Abbey of Montevergine, which donated the innovative ‘Nativity of Mercy,’ houses the Marian image that has been adopted as patroness by LGBT activists in Italy.

“The abbey shrine is the annual destination of a sort of sacred and profane ‘ancestral gay pride’ pilgrimage which, according to one LGBT activist, in recent years has gained the ‘active, political participation of the LGBT community’.

Meanwhile Catholic Family News branded the scene “obscene”.

But designer Antonio Cantone has insisted there’s nothing “campy” about the design.

He said: “It is not a campy nativity; it is particular and makes you think… It leaves no one indifferent; there are provocations.”

The Pope explained of the artwork: “This year’s Nativity scene, executed in the typical style of Neapolitan art, is inspired by the works of mercy.

“They remind us that the Lord has told us: ‘Whatever you wish men to do to you, you also do to them’ (Mt 7.12).

“The crib is the suggestive place where we contemplate Jesus Who, taking upon Himself the miseries of man, invites us to do likewise, through acts of mercy.”

PAT SAYS:I'd be interested in knowing what our readers think of this controversy.On the one hand, it could be completely innocent - an artist's free hand and imagination.On the other hand, I can see how people can think it is homoerotic.It is certainly unusual - an unusual crib scene in any Catholic context - especially The Vatican.Is it a coincidence?Or is the "gay lobby" in the Vatican making some point?I imagine that nest year there will be a pre viewing of the 2018 crib scene.

TOPLESS WOMAN TRIES TO STEAL VATICAN BABY JESUS

A bizarre scene unfolded in Vatican City on Christmas Day when a topless female activist, while screaming “God is woman,” attempted to snatch a baby Jesus statue from a Nativity scene — but was quickly whisked away by police as she lunged for it.The woman, who also had “God is woman” painted in black on her bare back, was seen jumping over a guardrail and charging toward the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square, She was later identified as Alisa Vinogradova and a “sextremist” by Femen, a Ukraine activist group whose goal is to gain “complete victory over patriarchy,” according to its website. Femen said its mission is “protest” and its weapons are “bare breasts. “FEMEN considers the anti-war policy of the Vatican a rough medieval attack on the freedom of women and their natural rights,” it wrote in its blog about the incident. “FEMEN encourages women to follow the example of the movement and kidnap babies from religious denominations, thus, stating their right to use of their own body!”Vinogradova got her hands on the statue, but police caught her before she was able to dash away. She was detained.The incident happened about two hours before 50,000 people watched Pope Francis give his Christmas message in St. Peter’s Square, Reuters reported. Women with the group have previously staged similar protests, according to Reuters. A Femen activist was able to run away with the baby Jesus statue out of a crib on Christmas Day 2014, but was eventually caught and arrested.

66 comments:

The Christmas spirit disappeared quickly Pat! How utterly twisted you are to even begin to interpret the crib like this. It's you back to normal. It certainly beats your "crib" Why the sexual interpretation? More insight into your own homoerotic mind...not for the first time....You must have had too much to drink.

On my initial very quick viewing I'm confused. Is it a nativity scene, or, as described in blog, one of the representations of the works of mercy? If the latter then why the fuss? As such it's relevant and representative.But I cannot see an artistic or aesthetic link to any nativity portrayal.Can you please clarify Pat.MMM

For our isolated eyes, this does look like an odd interpretation of the crib. However, it is a very old tradition in Italy to include representations of different aspects of life - in this case the corporal acts of mercy. It wouldn't be to my taste to be honest. However, the fact that one naked figure is being assisted by Christians on the road is hardly against Church doctrine. Also, if we were to remove every scantily clad representation in Roman or Italian art we would most definitely lose a sizeable proportion of Church art... The Pieta, for instance, the roof of the Sistine chapel, or the statue of King David, to name but a few

Of course there's a bloody gay agenda here! The homoeroticism is as plain as that legendary carbuncle on the pope's arse orangemen of old alledgedly sang about. And the main point of the agenda is to ambiguously cock a snook at the Vatican, especially at Pope Francis. Who can blame those behind it? Francis has been notoriously ambiguous on LGBT concerns. Take his widely lauded 'who am I to judge?' soundbite on gay priests in 2013; now contrast it with his subsequent endorsement of Pope Benedict's ban on gay candidates for seminary. The apparent self-contradiction here is almost embarassingly obvious.

If a guy really were begging as buck and languidly naked as in this nativity (the pose suggests Angeloian homoeroticism) he'd be a total fraud, as convincing as Pope Emeritus Benedict's concern for abused children.

Realistically, the guy would almost certainly be poor and starving as well, scarcely able to present such a well-fit-and-fed bod. As it is, the guy looks like he's just been down the gym...and not for the first time today. And look at his groin; it's only half-covered. Is he teasing his onlookers? Attempting to make a fetish of his manhood? The onlookers are all males, and they include the officially gender neutral (but actually quite masculine-looking) angel, hovering near the ceiling of the cupola. He appears to have lost interest in the babe in the manger (traditionally his sole interest) and has eyes only for the naked beefcake off centre.

The Vatican has been made to look a total and public arse over this nativity.

What century is Jesus supposed to have been born in? The figures' clothes look like ren fayre costumes.Personally I'm not fussed by the nude bloke. It also doesn't bother me that artistic nudity can be thought erotic, since really anything can be erotic.I'm more bothered by the hideousness and confusion of this 'nativity'.

There has always been a link between art and sexuality in the church. How many statues were covered by shells by those who wanted to preserve modesty in the past. If the naked man was so poor how come he was in such good physical shape to be a true representation of a poor person. Our church and world is a paradox. We celebrate Jesus on a Monday and stone Stephen on Tuesday.We need God's blessing and guidance every day.

When I viewed the Vatican crib and the nude young man being clothed I was reminded immediately of the famous Creation scene in the Sistine Chapel. The young man in the crib brought to mind for me the magnificent Michalangelo figure of Adam in what is commonly agreed is one of the most iconic scenes in the history of art. This row about the crib is much ado about nothing when one views Italian art much of it in famous churches.

Yes, the beggar represents Man (Adam). The entire tradition of nude paintings and sculptors has a glorious sexual charge, and people who blush about that are both philistines and prudes. If it's objected that the beggar should look scrawny, well what about the many very healthy looking St Sebastians -- hardly likely after imprisonment and tortue?

The whole thing is grotesquely ugly. Why can't there just be a simple depiction of the Nativity? Because of Francis' non-stop miserabalist paupism the capital works of mercy have to dominate the scene. Precious little room for spiritual works of mercy.

And has the Vatican got round to tearing down its forty foot high walls to let in all the migrants Francis inanely compared to Joseph and Mary, who legally travelled to Bethlehem in their own country for a census and returned home to Nazareth after a few days.

You're all in overdrive on this crib at the Vatican. And ridiculously so. Much ado about nothing. You should all go to your local churches and spend time in prayer and reflectiin. And then go iut and imitate the Christ you adore...by looking after the homeless, sick and wounded. My Church organised a seadonal "visiting/outreach griup" simply iut of reflections and prayers around our Crib. So, less criticism and more action in imitation of the One who lies in a manger. The artist of the crib at Vatican is the ine best placed to give interpretation and a photo does not do justice....

Magna, 12.52: You want us to believe that you have a sense of humour! You're delusional and so immature. 10.28 is right. Go to your local Church (cave in your case...) and allow the crib inspire some respect and decency towards others.

Are we afriad to allow a differt style crib truly challenge us? The challenge is being missed by talk of aesthetic beauty or none. There was nothing beautiful about The Manger - so let's get away from a rosy, simple version of what the Incarnatiin reallys means. Let the Christ Child speak to our hearts. Having viewed many different style cribs in my life, I welcome imagination, creativity and the challenge of the crib. Artists inspire reflection and difference. Pope Francis wants us not to just adore the Christ Child but to let his vision inspire compassiin, justice and caring for the most hurt, forgotten and wounded in our communities. That's where this Vatican crib leads me....The poor and the homeless on our streets, sadly, often look like some of the figures in this crib. I believe our conversations are disingenuous unless we look beyond and respond to the challenge of the "crib"....

ROME, December 20, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican Nativity scene featuring a naked man, a corpse, and no sheep or oxen is the artistic offering of an abbey which is the focus of Italian LGBT activists, it has emerged.

Enquiries by LifeSiteNews have revealed that the Abbey of Montevergine, which donated the innovative ‘Nativity of Mercy,’ houses the Marian image that has been adopted as patroness by LGBT activists in Italy. The abbey shrine is the annual destination of a sort of sacred and profane “ancestral gay pride” pilgrimage which, according to one LGBT activist, in recent years has gained the “active, political participation of the LGBT community.”

An official of the Vatican’s Governorate has told LifeSiteNews that the abbey of Montevergine initially proposed the original idea for the ‘Nativity of Mercy.’ The Vatican discussed and developed a more detailed design with the abbey, then submitted final plans to the Secretary of State and Pope Francis for approval, which was duly granted.

“The presence of the Vatican Nativity Scene for us is a reason to be even happier this year,” Antonello Sannini, president of homosexual activist group Arcigay Naples, told LifeSiteNews on Tuesday. “For the homosexual and transsexual community in Naples, it is an important symbol of inclusion and integration.”

Magna, 13.20, from the many nasty, virulent, hate filled comments you contribute here indicate a frame of mind that is not an emulation of the Christ Child. Love and joy, if as you say are twin indicators of God's presence, you certainly possess neither. Other indicators of God's presence - RESPECT for others and not the sneering condescension you display frequently.

A bizarre scene unfolded in Vatican City on Christmas Day when a topless female activist, while screaming “God is woman,” attempted to snatch a baby Jesus statue from a Nativity scene — but was quickly whisked away by police as she lunged for it.The woman, who also had “God is woman” painted in black on her bare back, was seen jumping over a guardrail and charging toward the Nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square,

She was later identified as Alisa Vinogradova and a “sextremist” by Femen, a Ukraine activist group whose goal is to gain “complete victory over patriarchy,” according to its website. Femen said its mission is “protest” and its weapons are “bare breasts.”

“FEMEN considers the anti-war policy of the Vatican a rough medieval attack on the freedom of women and their natural rights,” it wrote in its blog about the incident. “FEMEN encourages women to follow the example of the movement and kidnap babies from religious denominations, thus, stating their right to use of their own body!”

Vinogradova got her hands on the statue, but police caught her before she was able to dash away. She was detained.

The incident happened about two hours before 50,000 people watched Pope Francis give his Christmas message in St. Peter’s Square, Reuters reported.

Women with the group have previously staged similar protests, according to Reuters. A Femen activist was able to run away with the baby Jesus statue out of a crib on Christmas Day 2014, but was eventually caught and arrested.

Wee the posters here must have very empty lives. What a load of twaddle. The crib is a typical Italian style crib of the 18th/19th Century style. To read all kinds of homoerotic connotations is revealing of the minds of the commentators.But I suppose on the blog of a Gay bishop we shouldn't be surprised!Honestly folks grow up!

Most normal people see nothing to be concerned about in the crib in St. Peter's square, this really is trying to create an issue out of nothing. Of course it's what Pat does time and time again, a true stirrer!

Having a naked man in a crib scene seems deliberate, and may well be part of an agenda, whatever that is. I cannot imagine it happening with any popes of the last century. So, it is a departure. Let's hope other parishes don't follow suit.

In 1976 Montini became the first pontiff in the modern era to deny the accusation of strange goings-on aka poovery. On December 29, 1975, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document entitled Persona Humana: Declaration on Certain Questions concerning Sexual Ethics, that reaffirmed Church teaching that pre or extra-marital sex, pooving, and masturbation are sinful acts. In response, Roger Peyrefitte, who had already written in two of his books that Montini had a longtime pouffé relationship, repeated his charges in a magazine interview with a French gay magazine that, when reprinted in Italian, brought the rumours to a wider public and caused an uproar. He said that Montini was a hypocrite and a pooftah who had a longtime pouffé relationship with a movie actor. Widespread rumors identified the actor as Paolo 'Mo' Carlini, who had a small part in the Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday (1953). In a brief address to a crowd of approximately 220,000 in St. Peters Square on 18 April, Montini called the pouffé charges "horrible and slanderous insinuations" and appealed for calm and prayers on his and his boyfriend's behalf. Special prayers for Montini were said in all Italian Catholic churches in "a day of consolation". The pouffé charges have resurfaced periodically. In 1994, Franco Bellegrandi, a former Vatican honour chamberlain and correspondent for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, alleged that Montini had been blackmailed and had promoted fellow poofters to positions of power within the Vatican. In 2006, the newspaper L'Espresso confirmed the blackmail story based on the private papers of police commander General Giorgio Manes. It reported that Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro had been asked to help.

21:57 cannot expect to be taken seriously given her idiosyncratic vocabulary.

What point is she trying to make? Same-sex attraction is not unknown in the history of the church, clergy or papacy. Neither is same-sex sexual activity. Paul II and Sixtus IV are two examples usually put forward as evidence.

Thanks, 21:57, for taking the trouble to reply in such detail; I appreciate personal effort, and you have shown it. However, is there any evidence for the information you cite? Without substantiation, it remains entirely speculative.

Thanks, 21:57, for taking the trouble to reply in such detail; I appreciate personal effort, and you have shown it. However, is there any evidence for the information you cite? Without substantiation, it remains entirely speculative.

I’m a avid reader here, as a reader I don’t give a fiddlers flute about Frankie.He won’t be buttering my bread over here in Ireland...and he can say whatever he wants.Personally I would not see any comparison. 2000 years apart.

I would be interested to know how old 21:57 is. I have heard the word poove used in old TV programmes but never heard it actually used in my lifetime except by 21:57.As for pouffés our mother had a Moroccan one in our front room in the seventies...